“The Cinema Studies Institute allows you to stimulate your imagination.”

I was born in Milan, Italy. I am a graduate in Communication, Media and Advertising and now I’m studying Publishing and Communication Theories in University of Milan. I worked in Milan and I studied at the same time, it was challenging but satisfying. During my foreign experience in Canada, I just want to think about my studies. I really love cinema and all the world of moving images; therefore, I am here now. I’m writing my thesis with Professor Alberto Zambenedetti in the Cinema Studies Institute.  

My thesis regarding cinema and empathy. More specifically, my case study is focused on an Italian film: “On my skin”,  and I’m studying how it created empathy with the spectator despite of its peculiar distribution, production, and creation. I am interested in new type of cinema and use of it: like Netflix and expanded and relocated cinema. In my thesis, I use philosophy theories about the cognitive and phenomenological way to watch movies.  

I dream of becoming a screenwriter because I love story, emotions, and the magic of movies. I may consider PhD but for now, I don’t know. I know that I love the world of image and of imagination. 

I decided to come to U of T because the Cinema Studies Institute offers a great faculty and excellent events and seminars. Toronto is filled with rich things to do and U of T offers a lot of opportunities to meet students and exchange ideas. The faculty is helpful and friendly, they are also available to speak with students and help with research, studies, or answers questions. I think that this informal mood is a richest opportunity that a student can have. In Italy it doesn’t work in this way. It is great to speak about cinema with a professor when they are professional and also human.